Soft shoe



Jan. 10, 1939. E, HODALY 2,143,556

SOFT SHOE Filed NOV. 1'7, 1957 ZSmsentor Emerz'ck ffodai 7 J (Ittorneg tedzlaarm; 555* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE sor'r snoa Emerick Hodaly, Detroit, Mich. Application November 17. 1937, Serial No. 175,014

8' Claims.

This invention relates to shoes and particularly such shoes as may be comfortably worn on sore or injured feet.

An object of the invention is to provide a comfortable, readily yieldable, soft shoe for swollen, tender or bandaged feet.

Another object is to provide such a shoe with means whereby the forward portion of either side of the upper may be laced in a position overlapping such portion of the other side.

Another object is to so attach a lace to the upper, that the shoe will be readily adaptable to widely varying sizes of feet, without undue exposure of the feet, or the addition of a tongue to the upper.

A further object is to form the upper of such a shoe, with an open toe to freely admit air and accommodate feet of various lengths.

A further object is to construct such a shoe quite inexpensively by forming the sole of sponge rubber or the like, and forming the upper of a single length of soft fabric.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein: A

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved shoe, laced.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the shoe, unlaced.

In these views the reference character i designates the sole of the shoe, preferably of sponge rubber, 2 the upper attached to the sole by stitches 3 or the like, and 4 an opening formed between the sides of the upper at the front of the shoe, allowing the toes of a foot to comfortably protrude. Aretainer tape 5, of any suitably strong material, is attached to the upper, preferably near the sole, by stitches 6 or other fastening means, at each of its ends. The upper 2 is slitted at spaced intervals to form a row of keepers i, at each side thereof beneath which the retainer tape it freely passes, whereby the tape is attached at spaced points of its length to the upper. The retainer tape is preferably attached at the rear portion of one side of the upper, and extends around the toe of the shoe, and back on the opposite side. In fastening the shoe on a foot, either side of the upper is overlapped upon the opposite side, and a lace 8, attached at 9 to the mid-portion of the retainer tape, is threaded alternately through the keepers 1 at one side of the shoe and through a set of eyelets it) formed in the other side along the top and front edge of the upper. Such eyelets are thus formed in both sides of the upper to permit lacing at either side.

. to be laced on either side in event a foot is injured or swollen on but one side.

The invention is presented as including all such changes and modifications as come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A soft shoe having a sole of resilient matev rial, an upper of soft fabric attached thereto and formed with a set of eyelets near a free edge thereof, and means for fastening the shoe to a 25 foot, said means comprising a retainer tape attached substantially horizontally to the lower portion of the upper, and a lace threaded alternately beneath the retainer and through said eyelets.

2. A shoe as set forth in claim 1, one side of the upper overlapping the other in fastening the shoe upon a foot, and the sides of the upper forming an opening at the toe of the shoe.

3. A soft shoe comprising a sole of resilient 35 material, an upper of soft fabric, a retainer tape attached to the lower portion of the upper, and extending around the toe and rearwardly on both sides of the upper, the upper being formed with eyelets near the free edges of both sides thereof, 40 whereby either side of the upper may overlap, the other, and a lace threaded alternately beneath the retainer tape on one side of the upper and through the eyelets in the opposite side of the 45 upper.

4. A shoe comprising a sole'and an upper having opposite sides, the top portion of either side being adapted to overlap the other, and each side being formed with eyelets in its top portion, laceretaining means carried by the lower portion of 50 each side, and a lace engageable with the eyelets of either side and said retaining means on the other side to maintain the lapped relation of the sides.

5. A shoe comprising a sole, an upper having opposite sides lapping in use and jointly forming an opening at the toe of the shoe, such openin having upper and lower margins, and a lace ad pted to interconnect said sides and having a portion interconnecting the upper and lower margins of said opening, in use, and consequently extending across said opening.

6. A shoe comprising a sole, an upper attached thereto and forming an opening at the toe of the shoe, said upper having opposite sides each formed with a set of eyelets in its top portion, and each having a set of spaced slits, a length of retainer tape secured to the upper and threaded in and out of each set of slits, and a lace adapted to be threaded alternately through the eyelets 01' one side of the upper and around the retainer tape upon the other side of the upper, to secure either side in overlapped relation to the other.

7. In a shoe as seti'orth in claim 6, means securing the end portions of the retainer tape to the upper.

8. A shoe comprising a sole, an upper having opposite sides separately extending from the toe to the rear of the shoe, one oi. said sides having an eyeleted portion for overlapping the other, a lace engageable with the eyelets, and retaining means for said lace exteriorly carried by the lower portion of the other side and extending from the toe portion to the mid portion of the shoe.

7 CK HODALY. 

